Utah Jazz: Kirilenko, Millsap hit training room with injuries

He'd already hit all three of his shots and the sizzling Jazz were on fire when Andrei Kirilenko felt the flare.

Unfortunately this one came from a spasm in his lower back, and not from the small forward's hot hand.

"At a certain point," Kirilenko said, "I feel like (insert a mimicked spasm sound here)."

It was then that the Russian reserve said he thought, "Uh, oh."

Paul Millsap just so happened to have a similar "uh, oh" moment at about the same time. The backup power forward left the game and gingerly limped to the locker room with a few minutes remaining in the first half after knocking knees with a Portland player.

Both wanted to return in the second half but were ruled out part way through the third quarter of the 108-92 win — Kirilenko was officially diagnosed with a mild-to-moderate lower back strain and Millsap with a bruised left knee.

Millsap, who finished with seven points in 13 minutes, said he felt "all right" after the game. An X-ray taken of the injured knee Saturday night came back negative, so it doesn't appear to have any long-term damage.

"It calmed down," he said.

The valuable backup didn't want to think about "worst-case scenarios" after having missed three games — the first of his career — after spraining the PCL in his left knee last December.

Millsap, who's still sporting the five stitches from getting smacked in the face earlier in the week, wasn't sure which Blazer he crashed into but his knee hurt like heck when it happened with 3:40 left in the first half.

"I just bumped knees with somebody," he said. "It hit right on the bone, so it was a little painful."

Millsap wanted to play again but opted for the better-safe-than-sorry route.

"I was going to (return), but the intensity out there was too high," he said. "I didn't want to risk getting hit again. Normally I would probably try to get out there. Not saying I'm soft or anything. I wanted to get out there. I love the game of basketball and I just wanted to play."

And Millsap certainly doesn't want to miss Monday's game.

"I'm sure I'll be able to go," he said. "It's one of those things you've just got to let it heal. Hopefully, I can be ready to practice in the morning... Hopefully, it's just an overnight thing."

Kirilenko, who had six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes, said he felt fine coming in but noticed "a little spasm" as the game progressed. This is not the first time he's experienced a lower back spasm, either. He grimaced while recalling how his back has seized up every so often during several seasons in a row.

"I know this pain," he said.

But Kirilenko believes — or hopes, at least — some ice, stimulation and pain relievers should have him back at it soon.